What a surprising city on the Rhein
Many times I’ve passed Düsseldorf on my way to Berlin, but I’ve never taken the time to stop. So when the train tickets were on special I thought this would be the perfect destination for a 3 day weekend. Added bonus, it’s near the Dutch border so my mum could come over for a day and I got to catch up with a friend that lives in the area.
I figured 2 days in the city would be enough, so reserved one day to do a day trip. When I started looking for hikes to do in that area, I was very surprised with the amount of hikes I found. In my head this whole border area was full of industry and buildings. But on my first day I ended up hiking in the Wuppertal and had an amazing day. That evening I took a stroll along the Rhein river, which flows through the city.
There is a very long promenade which is really inviting. I started near the Medienhafen, where I found a nice park and the government building for the state NRW. From there you can walk all the way past the Altstadt, or old town. It didn’t used to be so attractive. Several years ago this stretch had a highway, but they’ve moved it underground and created a place where locals and tourist can come to enjoy the sunset, the atmosphere and of course a beer! I ended up spending a lot of time here every day.
On my second day I started with a visit to the Belrath palace and then came back into the old town for a city tour. There was even a tour in Dutch and when we arrived we found out my mum and I were the only two people on the tour. Our guide was a Dutch woman who’d moved to Düsseldorf years ago and she told us many stories about the city. It was Saturday and the inner city was packed. There were so many cues to get into the stores on the main street. I think it would be a great city for shopping, but maybe not on a Saturday in corona-times. So I was glad we went for the tour.
We listened to the history of Düsseldorf on the market square, were told about the founder, whose statue stands proudly in the middle of the square. Unfortunately the artist didn’t have enough material for the statue, so a helper had to go around the town to collect old cutlery and such, which could be melted to finish the statue. So, fair is fair, the little helper got a statue in the corner, made from the leftover materials.
It was nice to go around the city with a guide. She made us look at things in a different way and told us things we could never have found out just be wandering the streets. For example, we ended up at a big statue, the Stadterhebungsmonument, which celebrates the moment the city got its city rights. It was made by Bert Gerresheim, who has created a lot of funky details and added a touch of humor. If you look closely you can find things that didn’t even exist in the time Düsseldorf got its city rights, like a certain type of beer bottle or a gun.
We finished the day with a German meal on terrace near the Rhein. And then of course walked along the river before my mum had to catch her train. On my last day I simply walked around. I started at the Medienhafen to see the architecture. It was pretty quiet on a Sunday, apart from some people having breakfast at their hotel. But there were people jogging and walking around. There are some really unique buildings and the area has a trendy atmosphere.
Afterwards I also walked through the Hofgarten park, which was a little messy due to construction nearby, but still pleasant with the ponds and ducks and Thai Chi classes. I also captured some of the Säulenheiligen on camera. These statues are spread out through the city and represent the normal people, the people of the city. You can find a business man, a bride or a kissing couple.
All in all I’m really happy I went to Düsseldorf. It’s also an art city with many museums, but I didn’t even see a single one. The weather was just so nice that I had to enjoy being outside. But if you’re looking for some art, cosy restaurants and bars, and perhaps some shopping, it’s definitely worth a visit!
The sun is setting on the Rhein river 
